The morning started with the mundane ritual of childhood. "Are you ready for school, boys?" Aunt's voice drifted from the kitchen, warm and familiar.
"Yes!" Aarav and Rohan shouted in unison, grabbing their bags.
"Bye! Be safe!" she called out as they scrambled onto the bus. But the safety of their world was about to shatter.
Later that afternoon, the classroom was quiet, save for the scratching of pencils and the Teacher's rhythmic drone. "So, as you can see, the Pythagorean Theorem states that H^2 = P^2 + B^2..."
Suddenly, the air grew heavy. A low, guttural vibration—thrubb... thrubb...—shook the floorboards.
"What's happening?" Aarav whispered, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"I don't know," Rohan replied, his knuckles white as he gripped his desk.
The classroom door didn't just open; it exploded. A towering green monstrosity, skin like mottled lizard hide and clutching a jagged metallic blade, lunged into the room.
"Everybody run! Get out now!" the teacher screamed. The boys scrambled toward the playground, gasping for air. Rohan looked back, his eyes wide with terror. "WTF is that thing?!"
As more creatures poured through a shimmering tear in the sky, a strange sensation washed over Aarav. A dark, electric energy began to radiate from his skin.
"Can you save us?" a voice cried out from the chaos.
"I will try," Aarav murmured, his voice sounding deeper, older. "Awaken."
A pitch-black aura erupted from his body like a cloak of shadows. He moved with impossible speed, a blur of dark light. One by one, he struck the monsters, his strikes fueled by a power he didn't understand.
"Huaaaaaaah!" A deafening roar shook the trees.
A monster twice the size of the others emerged, its eyes glowing with malice. Aarav lunged at it, but this beast was different. It caught his strike with ease, its strength overwhelming.
"You little boy," the giant hissed, pinning Aarav down. "You are surely not from this world. Tell me... what is your name?"
"Aarav Sikarwar," he spat, struggling against the creature's grip.
The monster froze. Its eyes narrowed. "Sikarwar? Oh... now I understand. But why are you here, in this pathetic realm? At Qualidion, have you forgotten your ancestors' promise and their sacred duty?"
"What promise?" Aarav gasped. "What are you talking about?"